Best-selling author Freida McFadden, known for writing The Housemaid series, has revealed her true identity.
After years of writing under a pen name, McFadden has admitted she was living a double life.
The author has long appeared in public in a wig and glasses while keeping her real identity hidden behind a pseudonym.
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But following the release of the first The Housemaid movie, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, and amid a string of new bestsellers, McFadden said “it’s time” to reveal her identity.
The US author has now confirmed her real name is Sara Cohen.
“I’m at a point in my career when I’m tired of this being a secret. I’m tired of people debating if I’m a real person or if I’m three men,” McFadden told USA Today.
“I am a real person and I have a real identity and I don’t have anything to hide.”
When McFadden first began writing, she was also working as a doctor — and kept the two worlds separate to maintain her privacy.
What started as a practical decision soon became a closely guarded secret as her popularity grew following the release of her 2022 psychological thriller The Housemaid.
Outside of the book world, McFadden is Sara Cohen, a doctor who treats brain disorders.
And while the look may seem like a disguise, she really does wear glasses. However, the hair is a wig but only because “I have no idea how to style my hair”.
“It’s so much more boring than anything that happens in my books,” McFadden said.
She only adopted a pseudonym to avoid her writing career conflicting with her hospital job and initially planned to keep her identity hidden until she was ready to step back from medicine.
In late 2023, she stopped working full-time, though her co-workers eventually discovered her double life.
McFadden said they were “really nice about it” and kept her secret — many were fans of her books.
“I just realised I was completely overwhelmed from trying to do both,” McFadden added.
Despite being unmasked, McFadden insists she’s still the same writer and wants to still be known as “Freida”.
“Even though I haven’t told my real name until now, I feel like I have shared the real me all along and everything I’ve told them has been the truth,” McFadden said.
“Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I’ve always been genuine with my readers.”
